A date with destiny
by Lover of Seto Kaiba
Summary: After a repulsive date with Duke Devlin, Serenity is forced to walk home in a storm. That is, until she meets Seto Kaiba. Will love bloom? Will hatred? And what about Duke? Is he really out of the picture? Don't count on it!
1. Date gone wrong

Chapter 1 Date gone wrong

Hey everyone! I'm back, and with a new story! I hope you enjoy this one as much as you did the last, and for those of you who hated my last one, I hope you like this one better. I didn't get to say this, but because of the many wonderful reviews I got on my last story, I have much more confidence in my writing now. At first, I never thought that anyone would read something of mine, but now I realize that my writing really isn't as bad as I thought it was. Of course, if I were one of you guys, I wouldn't read...something...of....mine...Did that make sense? Well anyway, thank you, and I hope you like it!

Would all Duke lovers please leave the story. I really have nothing against him, but I'm just warning you now, he's a total creep. If your as obsessed with Duke as I am with Kaiba, you best leave this story now, because you'll just be flaming by the end.

This is a really bad night for Serenity, I'm just warning you now. And, as in my other story, To Win or To Lose, Joey and Serenity live in the same house.

Disclaimer: Look! This is my first disclaimer for my new book! Yay!....not. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Serenity sighed and stared down into her cup of french vanilla cappuccino. (Mm....cappuccino....) She had never felt so insecure in her life. Across from her sat the rich, handsome, and much sought-after creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters, Duke Devlin, and she had no idea what to say. He was trying to stare deeply into her eyes, but she wouldn't even look at him. This frustrated him. He was already miffed that they weren't already making out in the back of his car.

He ran his hand through his dark hair and flashed his pretty-boy smile. "You know, Serenity, you look simply _stunning _tonight." he said, hoping to get her to talk to him.

"Um..." She met his sea-green eyes, and he tried to stare deeply into them again, but she glanced back down at her drink. "Thanks..." She mumbled. Duke almost sighed with frustration, but caught himself and remembered to keep his cool. Instead, he smiled again and took her hand from across the small table.

"What's wrong, Serenity? Aren't you having a good time with me?" he asked making sure that his voice sounded sweet and sincere. Serenity smiled to herself. What was she doing? She was on a date with Duke Devlin! She should be having a great time! But she couldn't get over the feeling that she had to watch her every move, in case she did something wrong.

"I'm fine, Duke." She smiled back. "I'm really enjoying myself..."

"Good." he smiled again. "Listen, do you want to leave? There's a place I want to show you." he stood up, and Serenity took it as a sign that they were leaving. "I think you're going to like this."

Duke drove with the hood of his car down, even though storm clouds threatened to pour down rain. "Um, don't you think we should put the hood up?" Serenity asked, looking at the dark sky. Duke laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't worry about it!" he said, laughing softly. "If it starts to rain, I'll put the hood up. Don't worry, I won't let my girl get wet." he pulled of onto a dirt road, and Serenity realized she didn't know where he was taking her.

"Duke? Where're we going?" she asked, trying not to sound too alarmed. He smiled and put his arm around her as he drove.

"Here." He said, parking his car in front of a beautiful lake. The light of the full moon reflected in the water when the clouds passed it. Serenity's eyes widened in wonder.

"Duke...This is beautiful..." She said. Duke smiled. This place had the same effect on every girl he brought here. He used the arm he had around her to pull her closer to him.

"I hoped you'd like it..." A rain drop splattered on his shoulder. "Hm?" He looked up. Another drop hit him in the face. "I think we should put the hood up." He smiled.

"Nice job." Serenity said sarcastically, but she was just kidding. After putting the hood up, he leaned back. Serenity was suddenly uncomfortably aware of how close he was sitting to her.

"Serenity..." he said, leaning so close that his face was just inches away from hers, "I want you to know that I really care for you..." Then much to her surprise, he kissed her on her cheek. "You're so alluring..." He whispered. He was practically on top of her now, seeing that she was backed up against the door. "And I love the way you taste..."

He kissed her neck, and she didn't know what to do next. Part of her wanted to tell him to stop. If Joey found out about them, he would be furious. After the dog-suit incident, it was a miracle that he had even allowed them to go out. But then, another part of her loved what he was doing. It felt so good to be loved by him... But it was wrong! When she had pictured herself in a car with someone, allowing them to kiss her like he was, she pictured herself feeling...something other than this. But no, she felt nothing towards him.

"Duke...Duke, stop it." She said, trying to sit up.

"Mmm...Oh, but Serenity...you're so nice..." he practically whined. "Is it my fault if you're like chocolate? One taste, and I'm hooked!"

"Stop!" She said, shoving him off of her. "Look, I understand that you like me, but I just can't do this now. It just doesn't...feel right..."

"You don't like me?" Duke asked in a pouty manner. Serenity sighed.

"Of course I like you, but you're rushing things. I just don't think I'm ready."

"Okay, I understand." He said calmly. But on the inside, he was seething with anger. No girl had ever resisted Duke Devlin. He could have any girl in the city, any girl he wanted! And yet, the one girl he was interested in, had just shoved him away.

He leaned in for what Serenity thought would be a small kiss. Instead, that creep Duke rammed his tongue down her throat! She pulled away from him and, with all the force she could muster, slapped him across his pretty-boy face, leaving a dark red mark on his pale skin for proof. He gasped and put his hand to his stinging cheek.

"Y-you slapped me!" He said, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You deserved it." She said, glowering at him. She quickly opened the car door and stepped out into the rain. The mud sloshed under her shoes, and she suddenly regretted wearing high-heels. She was miles from her home, in the rain, on a dirt road, with no ride home. As she started walking away, holding the bottom of her dross so as not to get it dirty, she heard Duke scream "You'll regret this! You and I both know that in time, you'll come crawling back to me, and next time, I won't be so nice to you!" She rolled her eyes and kept on moving. Duke didn't follow; he was probably trying to gather up his shattered ego.

As she walked, the rain seemed to grow heavier. The mud sucked her shoes in, and finally, she gave up and took them off and carried them in her other hand. Grimy? Yes, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and Serenity was definitely desperate at this current situation.

The rocks on the dirt/mud road hurt her feet, but it was better than having to suffer from pulling her shoes out of the mud every step. As she walked, she almost laughed as she thought of what a sight she must look like: A seventeen year old girl in a pale blue dress, walking barefoot with her shoes in her hands, her feet cover in mud, in the rain down a dirt read. Instead, of laughing at the thought, she just started crying. When she had left, she had been too mad to think this through, but now, here she was, and what was she going to do? She could call Joey...if she just knew where to find a phone. She remembered that there was one on the counter of the coffee shop they had been in, but would they allow her in looking like this? She shivered. It was just early springtime, and the rain was still cold. Her dress clung to her legs, making it hard to walk, and she could barely see three feet in front of her because of all the rain.

"Well, Serenity, look on the bright side. It could be worse." Just then, where she thought there was road, was a small hole that her foot missed, sending her crashing down into the mud. Now she was covered in mud from the top of her dress to the bottom. Her hair came out of the bun it had been in and got mud in the bangs and on the tips. She stood up and looked at the ruined dress. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

Lightning struck not too far away, followed by loud, crashing thunder. Serenity jumped, her heartbeat quickening at the sound. She wondered if Duke realized what Joey would do to him if he found out that he had let her leave. Duke would need major orthopedic surgery to flash that pretty boy smile at anyone else. She smiled wickedly and decided she would tell him the minute she got home.

She cried out in a mixture of terror and rage as lightning struck again nearby. Oh, what she would give to be home, safe in her warm bed. If she had just listened to Joey when he told her about Duke, she wouldn't be in this mess. But, of course, she had to go and do things her own way. That was the problem with her: She just didn't know when to take advice, and when she finally did, it was the wrong kind!

Duke Devlin's car passed her, and she could vaguely make him out in the window. He smirked viciously as he drove past her, and he didn't stop to offer her a ride home, although she hadn't expected him to. She silently wished she could've been able to see her red handprint on his face one last time, though, just for a good laugh.

Finally, she reached the road. She would've gotten down on her hands and knees and kissed the pavement, but that would've looked even more ridiculous. It was only after she started walking that she realized there was nothing to celebrate about. It was still raining, and she was still a long way from her house. Not to mention the fact that she had absolutely no idea where she was. At least on the dirt road, she knew which way to turn.

"Hey-ya, hot stuff, what happened to you? You look like you could use a nice dry place to stay." Said a homeless man, patting the bare area of the box he was living in. Serenity swallowed and pressed on, trying her best to ignore the many rude comments all the men were making.

"Nice dress, has anyone ever told you you're very sexy when your wet?" One rather large guy said.

"I may not be much on looks, but the women say I'm good in bed." Another piped in

"Why don't you come over here, sexy? We can find ways of warming each other up." was her least favorite of all.

Serenity quickened her pace. The men groaned, but were too lazy to follow, not to mention the fact that they risked losing their box to another homeless person if they left.

She stopped for a breather in front of a store when she had gotten out of that neighborhood. She looked in the glass and didn't even recognize the girl that was staring back at her. He hair lay in limp, muddy strings, her dress was muddy, wet and clinging to her pale and shaking body, and her face was blanched of all color. Joey was going to have a fit when he saw her. She would probably get the lecture of her life, but she knew that inside, Joey loved her, and as soon as she got a good shower and into warm, comfy clothes, Joey would come in and apologize for yelling at her.

The traffic was light, considering how late it was. Most of the restaurants were closed for the night, and she started to wonder how long she had been walking. It seemed like hours, but more likely it had only been about thirty minutes. Of course, this did nothing to improve the mood she was in. She still had a long way to walk, and she had only a vague clue as to which way to go.

Finally, she came to an all night diner. Serenity decided to go see if they had a phone, and even if they didn't, it would be a good place to get out of the rain at least until she could figure out something to do. She put her shoes on and walked in, but the minute the cashier saw her he pointed to the door.

"Sorry, we don't take charity cases. There's a soup kitchen on the other side of the town. You can get a free meal there!"

"But I just-"

"I said get out!" He was shouting now. Serenity, no longer caring if it was raining, started to turn away, until someone grabbed her elbow. She turned around to find a young man about a head taller than her wearing a blue trench coat.

"Don't worry about it. I'll talk to him." he said, turning to cast a glare at the man at the counter, who was looking curiously at them. "You just stay right here." She said nothing, but nodded slightly. Who was this man? (As if you don't know!) And why was he standing up for her? With the way she looked, it was no wonder he thought she was a homeless woman. He leaned over the register and spoke too softly for her to hear, but what he said must've been convincing, because it left the guy with a panic-stricken expression. "You can stay. And you can have a meal on the house." he said, leading her to a booth. She sat down, and so did he.

"I'm not all that hungry." She looked over at the register guy, who glanced at her nervously, but looked away, pretending he hadn't. "Wow, you really scared him. What did you say?"

"Well," He smiled slightly. "I own this restaurant. I simply told that guy if he wants to keep his job, he'd better start being a little bit nicer to the customers. I've been watching him. Less people have started coming since he started working here. And now I see why. Not only is he scaring my customers away, but he has the I.Q of a garden hose. Anyone can plainly see that you're not homeless. That dress looks expensive, although dirty. And you appear to be...well fed..." He said, grinning. A blush crept across Serenity's face, but she chose to ignore his last comment. "So, why are you in such a shabby state?"

"Er...I don't...usually look like this. It's just that..." She sighed. "I really don't feel like talking about it."

"Oh, come now. You know you want to tell me." He said, smiling slightly.

"Okay...I was on a date with this guy named Duke and...well...he turned out to be a total creep. So I slapped him and decided to walk home." She shrugged.

"Well, that was stupid." he said bluntly. "What did he do to make you so angry?"

"He..." she looked down in her hands and spoke in a whisper. "Took advantage of me..."

The young man's eyes widened. "He didn't-"

"No, no, it's nothing like that...He just...didn't know the meaning of the word 'Stop'...or personal space."

"Ah." He nodded. "I understand. Look, do you have a ride home?"

"No...I'm actually looking for a phone so I could call my brother. He's going to be so angry."

"Why?"

"Well, he tried to tell me what kind of guy Duke was, but I didn't listen. Now he's going to have to come out and get me. Do you have a phone in here?"

"Uh, yes, but if you'd like a ride home, I could give you one."

"I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but after tonight, I just don't think I could ride in another car with a man again. At least for a while."

"Okay," he shrugged. "The phone's over there." He pointed to a hallway with a restroom sign hanging over it. She smiled at him.

"Thank you." She said, standing up. He nodded and stretched. It was obvious he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. She walked over to the payphone, inserted a quarter, and dialed their number. The phone rang five times before the answering machine picked it up.

"Yo! This is Joey!"

"And this is Serenity."

"Please leave a message at the beep..."

"...and we'll be sure to call you back."

"See ya!" They both said in unison. Serenity chuckled at their little answering machine message, but then realized he must not be home from his date with Mai yet. She sighed and hung up.

"Um, sir?" She asked walking up to him. He had both eyes closed, but he opened one when she spoke. "Can I still take you up on your offer for a ride? My brother isn't home."

Okay, that's the end of chapter one. I was going to combine it with chapter two, but it would take like...four pages. And I know no one wants to read that much, no matter how absolutely wonderful my story is. (Lol, just kidding, but if you've read my first book, you can see how much my confidence has gone up!) Anyway, please review. The more reviews I get, the faster you'll get an update. I'm going to strive for twenty reviews per chapter, so get to reviewing, because if I get twenty per chapter, then by chapter 5, I'll have...(counts fingers) 100 reviews!


	2. The irony

Chapter 2 The irony

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Wow! I got 20 reviews! Cool! By the way, the reason Seto was so nice to Serenity in the last chapter was because he felt sorry for her and, of course, he had no idea who she was. If he had known who she was...well...just read.

Serenity smiled to herself as she looked out the window. The rain was coming down harder than ever, but she was safe from it. She had never ridden in a limo, and she wondered to herself how she could possibly thank her rescuer for all that he had done for her. She was about to tell him, when she realized she didn't even know his name! She chuckled and faced him.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked him, smiling.

"Sure."

"Who are you?"

He laughed slightly. "That's right, we haven't even been properly introduced. I'm Seto Kaiba." At first, Serenity thought she had heard him wrong. Seto Kaiba? No, it couldn't be. Not the same Seto Kaiba who was the eighteen-year-old CEO of Kaiba corp. Not the same Seto Kaiba who tried to kill her brother. It couldn't be him. Not this kind man sitting next to her.

But then, it suddenly made sense. A restaurant owner could never afford a limo and designer clothes. She almost laughed at herself. Why hadn't she seen it before? She must've been too overcome by the day's events to think clearly.

"You-You're Seto Kaiba?...As in...Seto Kaiba of Kaiba corp?" She asked, a little dazed. He nodded slightly. "Oh, boy." Suddenly, she was feeling very lightheaded. She put her hand to her head.

"Yes. Hey, you're not going to hit the dirt, are you? You look a little pale."

"No...I'm okay." _Except that I'm sitting next to a psycho who once tried to kill my brother. _She thought to herself. "You...have no idea who I am, do you?" She whispered.

"No, I don't."

"Oh, and I thought the day couldn't get anymore ironic. Joey told me about Duke, and I didn't listen. I got what I deserved. And now, my rescuer turns out to be...you. I'm sorry, I must sound ridicules, but when I tell you my name, you'll understand. I'm Serenity Wheeler."

"Wheeler? Joey? Joey Wheeler? Oh my God. You're his-"

"Sister." She finished. He groaned and turned away from her. She thought he was going to shout, but instead, he just laughed.

"This....is....hilarious...." He said. There was something about his laughter that she didn't like. It sounded like it belonged to a madman. "You...you're his sister!" He laughed even harder, and Serenity backed away from him towards the door. Abruptly, he stopped and pressed the intercom button. "Johnny," (Yes, Johnny. Remember him from my other story? If you want to know who he is, read 'To win or to lose') "Stop the car."

"What? What are you doing?!" Serenity asked, shocked. When the limo stopped, Seto pointed to the door.

"Get out!" He shouted. Serenity stared at him, horrified. "Are you deaf?! I said get out!"

"You have to be-"

"Now!" He practically screamed. It was obvious he meant business. What was she to do? She would rather ride with Seto Kaiba than walk alone in the freezing rain again.

"Please, don't make me walk in the rain! It's been a really hard night! Please don't make me get out!" She pleaded and began crying. For a split second, Serenity thought she saw a glint of something in Seto's eyes. Sympathy? No, it couldn't be. Not him.

"Look...I don't owe you or your brother anything at all. I let you come because I felt sorry for you, because people like this "Duke" you told me about make me sick. But now that you told me who you are, I feel no need to help you once so ever!"

"Kaiba, please don't make me walk home! I don't even know the way! Please!"

"No!" He shouted. "Who you are changes everything! I can't believe I stood up for you! I let you ride in my limo! God, I'm such an idiot. How could I have been so stupid?!" Suddenly, he was insulting himself. "I'm such a Goddamned fool..." He shook his head and stared out the window. At this point, Serenity realized that there was something wrong with him, and she began to feel sorry for him. It was obvious there was much more to this than she knew. There was something about himself that Kaiba didn't like.

"Kaiba...you shouldn't talk about yourself like that....There's nothing wrong with you..." _You're a little crazy, but that's nothing a few years of therapy couldn't fix. _ She wanted to add, but didn't. He looked up at her, confused.

"H-how can you say something so kind to me? I just tried to throw you out in the rain..." He asked quietly. Serenity looked down at her hands and shrugged. 

"I don't know..." She said, still looking down at her hands. "I just can't hold a grudge."

"Not even for three seconds?" Kaiba asked, half smiling. Serenity smiled back.

"I, uh, guess not."

Kaiba nodded and pressed the intercom. "Johnny, you can continue driving now. Same course."

"So...you're letting me stay?" She asked, shocked. He nodded slightly.

"Hey, I'm as surprised as you are." he muttered. "I never thought I would do and Wheelers a favor. Of course, I'll probably hate myself for this in the morning..."

Serenity smiled slightly and looked back out the window. He really wasn't as bad as Joey said he was. Except, of course, for that emotional outburst, but that was to be expected. Soon, they arrived at her house. Before she got out, Serenity turned to him.

"Kaiba...thank you..." she said smiling. He shrugged.

"Eh, I wouldn't read too much into it if I were you. It's a one time thing, really." he said. She smiled at him. He really was something else. She got out of the car and realized Joey's car wasn't in the driveway. She took no notice of it until headlights were shining on her. She moved so Joey could pull up. He got out, took one from her to the limo, and pulled her into an embrace.

"Don't worry. I'll get him back." He whispered. Serenity, thinking he was talking about Duke, closed her eyes and smiled, that is, until he pulled away and marched up to Kaiba's limo. He thought Kaiba had done this to her! He had the wrong person! When would the irony end?!

K, this chapter was a lot shorter than my last one. A LOT shorter. But I'm feeling kind of under the weather, so don't blame me. Remember, 20 reviews and I'll post a new chapter!


	3. Sweet Revenge

Chapter 3 Sweet Revenge

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

A/N: Okay, before I go on, I would like to say that this is kind of an alternate universe. The whole battle city thing never happened, just like in my other story, although I don't think I mentioned it there. Actually, I think my other story was kind of based before battle city...hmm... Anyway, Seto wouldn't have recognized her because in this story, he never met her. Sorry if I confused anybody. And with that said, on with the story!

Serenity later wished she had done something to stop Joey. She should've tried to explain it to him, throw his arms around her waist to keep him from attacking, anything than just standing there in the rain, shivering and feeling like a complete idiot. But then again, what could she do? Once Joey had made up his mind about something, there was no stopping him, and right now he had just one goal in life: Make Kaiba pay. Not just pay for what he had done to Serenity, but for all the things he'd ever done to piss him off. It was finally time to take sweet revenge.

She should've never dragged Kaiba into this. Because of her, he was about to get the beating of a lifetime from her brother, when he did absolutely nothing wrong. What had he done to deserve this? He had been kind enough to take her home when he could have just left, her, and how did she repay him? Seek her older brother on him? What kind of inconsiderate person was she?! Truly, she didn't want to stare, but she just couldn't look away.

Seto locked the door and sneered at Joey through the tinted window, but this was no problem, because Joey already had his keys out. He grinned at Kaiba and raked them across the door, writing a vulgar four letter word starting with F (I think you know the one) in the white paint. Kaiba opened the door with such force that if Joey hadn't stepped back to admire his work, he would've been knocked to the ground.

He took one look at the door and grabbed Joey by the collar of his shirt. "Wheeler!" he said, pulling Joey up to his height. (Which wasn't that much, considering they're almost exactly the same height) "You're going to pay for that!"

"I'd like to see you try to make me." Joey said, breaking free from his grip. "I was just getting you back for what you did to my sister!"

"I didn't touch your sister. I could have any woman in the city! Why would I waste my time toying with a lousy Wheeler?" This comment hurt Serenity. What had happened to the kind man back in the limo? He continued. "I was just bringing her home after her date left her in the rain."

"Liar!" Joey shouted, balling his fists. He swung at his face, but Kaiba caught his hand a second before it would've struck and bent it backwards, causing his wrist to crack.

"Do you really want me to degrade you in front of your younger sister?" He asked, releasing his fist. Joey shook the pain off and went for another blow, but this time missed Kaiba all together and ended up getting socked in the stomach. He moaned and fell to his knees, arms wrapped around the part of his abdomen where Kaiba had punched him.

"Joey!" Serenity rushed to her brother's side. "Are you okay?" She asked as she put her hand on his shoulder. He nodded slightly and looked at her, his face chalk white.

"Yeah...I'm...fine...Who needs to breath?" He asked, gasping for air.

"I warned you, Wheeler." Kaiba said, starting to walk towards his limo. "You don't want to mess with me. You should probably stop now and save what little amount of dignity you have left."

Completely ignoring this comment, Joey staggered to his feet and tried to tackle Seto's retreating figure, only to get thrown half way across the lawn over Kaiba's shoulder. Serenity gasped and ran to her brother, who lay on his back, his eyes closed and his face contorted in a grimace, not so much as from pain as from the disgust and shame he felt in himself at that particular moment.

"Will you never learn?" Kaiba asked, shaking his head as he got in his limo. "We've been through this, Wheeler. You shouldn't try to fight someone that you know you can't beat. Remember that next time you're thinking of taking me on."

As the limo pulled away, Joey's writing still on the door, Serenity helped her brother into the house and let him rest on the couch while she took a shower and changed into clean clothes. When she came out, Joey was staring up at the ceiling, a scowl on his face.

"How could you let Kaiba drive you home? You know how much I hate him. I've told you a thousand times. " He muttered, still looking up. Serenity sighed and sat down at the end of the couch.

"I didn't know it was him until _after _I got in the limo."

"So you got in a car with a complete stranger?" (You know, now that I think about it, that was a pretty stupid thing for Serenity to do to begin with. Lol)

"Yeah..." She said, looking down.

"What if he had been a psycho murderer...wait...let me rephrase that.. What if he had done something to you?"

"I know, I know, it was a stupid thing to do. But I was tired, and I guess for a while there my judgement was impaired. He was so nice to me. And unlike Duke, when he talked to me...he looked me in the eyes." She said, smiling. Joey cast a scowl in her direction, and the smile quickly vanished. "What are you going to do to Duke?" She asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from Kaiba.

"Oh...I shouldn't talk about such grisly things in front of you. But let's just say he won't be taking anyone out for a long...long time." He said, trying to smile. "I want you to tell me exactly what happened."

"Well..." She said, thinking back. What was she supposed to do? It was embarrassing enough as it was, but talking about it with Joey was humiliating, even though she usually felt like she could tell him anything. She had felt comfortable telling Kaiba about it because she didn't know him, and she had figured that she would never see him again anyway, but Joey was her brother, and she knew that if she told him he would hunt Duke down. But then again, she couldn't lie to her brother... "He...just wouldn't quit..." She said, hoping he got the point. "He just didn't understand the word 'Stop'"

"Oh..." Joey nodded. "I understand. He didn't...you know...touch you or anything, did he?"

"No...he stopped at second base..." She muttered.

"He frenched you?! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!" He stood up, ignoring the pain. Serenity gasped and grabbed his arm.

"No!" She said, coaxing him back down onto the couch. "You don't need to get in any more fights today. And I'm fine, really." She said as she sat down next to him. He closed his eyes.

"Are you sure? Because he's a shrimp. You know I could just-"

"No! Please, Joey, don't do anything. I slapped him, he got what he deserved. Just let it go."

"Aw, Serenity, but I'm your older brother. I'm supposed to take care of you, and if I can't protect you from people like him, what am I here for?"

"You're here to comfort me when things like this happen." She said. He took her hand.

"I'm sorry this happened. I shouldn't have let you go. I knew he was a creep, I just didn't know he was a pervert." He sighed. "Some brother I turned out to be, right?"

"Hey, don't blame yourself, he had both of us fooled." She smiled. "It's not your fault. It's mine. You tried to warn me about him, I should've listened...I learned a lesson today: Don't trust everyone you meet."_ No matter how considerate they may seem...._She thought to herself.

"Okay, well...I won't go out of my way to beat him up, but if we cross paths, oh, how he's going to regret ever even asking you out in the first place.." He cracked his knuckles. Serenity smiled and embraced him. He meant well, even if he didn't quite know how to show it. He put his arms around her. "I love you, sis." He said, closing his eyes. "I'll do whatever I can to keep this from happening to you again. I promise."

"I know, Joey. I trust you. And next time you tell me to stay away from someone, I'll listen." (Uh hu. Suuuure)

"Okay..." he whispered. "Then don't go anywhere near Kaiba. That man is absolutely nuts."

"So I've heard." She said quietly.


	4. Party

Chapter 4 Party

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

To my readers: Oh! I am SO disappointed in you! Five more reviews, that's all I needed! What happened to all my loyal readers? Huh? I thought you "love" my story! If so, why aren't you reviewing?! I'll let it slide this time and update, but I'm telling you, if you don't get your butt reviewing, you won't see any more of this story!

Serenity ran a brush through her reddish-brown hair and sighed, looking at her reflection in the mirror. If someone could see her at the moment, they wouldn't even imagine that she had gone through as much as she had in the past few hours. She was no longer covered from head to toe in mud (thanks to a long, hot bath) and had changed into a warm, cotton nightgown. There was no saving the dress, unfortunately, and it had to be thrown away. It was her favorite dress, but then again, she didn't want anything to remember the night, and that dress was part of it. Maybe it was for the better if she didn't see it again.

There was a knock on the door. "You decent?" She heard Joey ask. She smiled.

"Yeah, it's okay to come in."

He opened the door and strolled into her room. "So..." he said, uncomfortable. "I...uh...I see you got all the mud off."

"Mmhmm..." She said. It was awkward talking to him. He sat on her bed and motioned for her to come over to him. Serenity knew what he wanted to talk about. She sat on the bed next to him, unsure of what to say. What could you say after something like that happened to you? This, after all, was her _brother, _and although she loved him and knew that she could talk to him about _almost _anything, this was one of those difficult topics to discuss. Thankfully, he started the conversation.

"Serenity, I . . . um . . . well, when we talked about what . . . happened earlier this evening, there were a lot of things going on, and I might not have been taking it in too rationally. Now that I'm calmer, and there aren't any distractions, do you want to talk about it?"

"Sure . . . " She whispered. "What do you want to know?"

"I want you to tell me exactly what happened."

"Well . . . " she said softly. "We were . . . he said he was going to take me somewhere that I'd really like. It was beautiful. A lake. He kissed me, but then it got too..." She bit her lip to keep from crying as the memories flooded back to her. "He started trying to..." as hard as she tried, she couldn't finish, and she burst into tears again. Joey put his arm around her. "You were right!" She sobbed into his shoulder. "You were so right! I should've listened."

"I wish I wasn't . . . " He whispered. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Serenity. I wish I'd been there to protect you...I wouldn't have let him do that."

"If you had been there, he wouldn't have even tried." she said, trying to calm herself down.

"Yeah...I know. I should've gone with you."

"No, Joey. It was me. I insisted that I wasn't a child anymore and that I could handle it by myself. Well, now we know how that turned out, right?" She asked, trying to lighten up the moment. Joey nodded and tried to smile.

"Well, uh, I do have something to take your mind off of the whole Duke situation." He smiled. "There's supposed to be this big party thing for big time gamers such as myself." he said, flashing a smile. "You know, I did come in second in Pegasus's tournament, I guess that's why I was invited. Yugi's going to be there too, along with plenty of other people. It's going to be a formal occasion, with only a selected few attending."

"Oh, I'm happy for you." She said smiling. "I hope you have fun there."

"Well, in the letter I got, it says we can bring one person along with us. And guess who I'm going to bring?"

"...Mai?" Serenity shrugged. Joey rolled his eyes upward and smiled.

"No, you!"

"Me? But I'm not that good of a dueler. Isn't it just for gamers only?"

"Nah. It's really got nothing to do with dual monsters, or any other type of game. It's just a party that people who play dual monsters or other games are invited to attend. Do you want to come?"

"Um, I won't have to be passed off as your date, will I?" She asked. He shook his head, laughing.

"Lord, no. Just say you're with me, and they'll allow you to come in." He smiled. "It's this Saturday."

"Okay...um...I'll need to find a new dress." She said.

"We can work that out." He nodded. "Mai can take you shopping tomorrow."

"Are you sure she'll want to do that?" She asked. Joey raised an eyebrow.

"Haven't you learned that Mai will use any excuse to go shopping. It's like...her hobby." he said, making Serenity smile and nod in agreement.

"Okay, I'd love to go, Joey. Thank you so much for thinking of taking me."

"It's awright." He said, embracing her.

Yeah, I know it's short, but that's what you get for not giving me enough reviews! I just want you to know, that no more reviews, no more chapters. To those who did review, I'm not talking to you. I still love you. But those who didn't, I'm very upset with you.So if you want to see how this story turns out (and I KNOW you do, seeing that I've already figured out how I'm going to end it.) you'd better get reviewing, and NOW! I'm so disappointed in you guys...


	5. An act of kindness

Chapter 5 An act of kindness

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

Yeah, uh, this is one of my longer chapters. Three pages. It may not seem like much, but I'm used to only writing like . . . two. Anyway, please read and review!

Saturday evening, Serenity twirled around in her beautiful dress, marveling at the way the material swept around her figure, showing off her curves, yet not giving her that uncomfortable feeling that she was dressing to impress. She was just dressing the way she wanted to, and she looked good. Mai had, of course, selected the dress. It was light. pink, and fell into layers sweeping her knees. She wore light pink high heels with it and a pink necklace that sparkled. Makeup, (which she usually didn't care to apply) was light, but still noticeable.

When she spun around for Joey, (who looked very handsome in his white tux that he borrowed from Tristan) his breath caught. "Serenity . . . you look beautiful . . . you look like . . . an adult . . . " He seemed to be having trouble finding the right words.

"Thank you Joey, you look nice too."

He took her arm and they left the house to drive to the Plaza hotel, where the party was being held. It was beautiful, a white building decorated with soft glowing lights and a fountain in the front. They arrived fashionable late, but everyone was already preoccupied with their own business. Serenity had to admit, Yugi looked quite dashing in his black tux. He smiled at her, and they talked for a bit.

"You look nice, Serenity." He said, a smile crossing his face, giving him a young boyish look. She smiled back.

"Thanks, you do to."

"Hey, is there any food? I'm starving!" Joey announced. Yugi nodded towards an extravagant bar that had a mountain of delights. For Joey, it was like he'd died and gone to heaven, only without the dying part. He grinned and rushed over, piling a plate with everything he could get his hands on. Serenity smiled at him and rolled her eyes. He certainly didn't care what anyone thought of him.

"Where're you going?" Yugi asked as she started to turn away.

"I'm going to go sit down now." She said, walking away.

It was a pretty nice party. There was slow music playing, and a few couples were dancing. Serenity sat down on a velvet futon and stared out the window. The moon was full and yellow, and she could see the stars clearly. It was a beautiful night.

"Is this seat taken?" A familiar voice asked. She looked up. Seto sat down next to her.

"I...I didn't know you were going to be here." She said, blushing a little. God, he looked good. He was wearing a white shirt, black pants and a black trench coat. (He has so many, he _must_ have a black one somewhere.) Serenity looked down.

"I didn't either, until tonight. Mokuba found the invitation that I was stupid enough to leave laying around and wanted to come. Unfortunately, he couldn't show up without me, so here I am."

She smiled. "You know, you look very menacing in this trench coat. Do you realize you're the only one who isn't wearing a tux?"

"...So?" He asked, shrugging. "It doesn't matter. I didn't even want to be here, why should I wear a tuxedo in a place I don't want to be. It's not like I'm going to see any of these people again."

"Yeah, but still, don't you feel weird with everyone else dressed up?"

"...This is dressed up. This is my...uh...special occasions outfits. I have a tux, but I'd rather not wear it. I think I look ridiculous in it...Mokuba, on the other hand..." He said, nodding towards his younger brother, who was wearing a small, black tuxedo. "...Doesn't realize that when he's wearing it, he looks like a penguin. He thinks he looks . . . modish."

"...Modish?"

"Uh, yeah. You know, handsome, stylish."

"...You're like a walking thesaurus." She shook her head. He shrugged again.

"I take pride in my diction.

"Yeah, well couldn't you just-" Her breath caught and her face paled under her makeup. Seto looked from her to the black-haired youth she was staring at. He recognized him as Duke Devlin, the young gamer who was _almost _as rich as he was. "...It's Duke..." She whispered.

"Devlin?" He asked. "Wait a minute! Is he the one that you went on that date with?"

She nodded, her eyes remaining glued to Duke's sea colored eyes. He smirked and began walking over to them. Seto looked back at him, and she grabbed his arm urgently. "Hide me . . . please!" She whispered, her grip tightening in fear.

"It's too late, he's already seen you." Seto muttered in her ear as Duke crossed the room towards them. He glanced at her. She looked positively terrified. He had to help her, somehow. Duke was halfway across the room now, and drawing closer to them with every second. _'I could fight him off . . . wait, no, I couldn't. I hardly even know this girl, I'm not going to fight for her. Jeeze, I wish the Goddamned music would stop playing so I could think." _Suddenly, an idea dawned on him, and he stood up. He took her had in his and Serenity, looking startled, stared up at him. "Would you like to dance?" He asked, taking a sweeping bow..

"What?"

"Would you like to dance?" He repeated, glancing towards Devlin, who had stopped and was looking curiously at them. Serenity smiled, suddenly realizing what he was doing for her.

"I'd _love _to, Seto." She said, standing up with him. They walked toward the middle of the floor.

"Do you know how to dance?" Seto whispered.

"Not really." She said, slightly embarrassed.

"Neither do I, but I suppose we can wing it." He said with a slight smile. He then took her hand in his and laced their fingers. Goosbumps ran up her arms when he placed his hand on her hip. The music, as it had been ever since she had arrived, remained slow and melodic, an enchanting tune in which flutes and violins played a melody. They began to dance, and she closed her eyes and leaned against him, letting him guide her.

To tell the truth, they didn't do that bad, really. Sure, they weren't waltzing all over the floor, but they did manage to stay off each other's feet. The song ended almost too soon. "Seto . . . " Serenity whispered. "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it." He tugged at the collar of his shirt a little. "Would you like to step outside for some fresh air? I feel caged here with all these people around."

"Sure." She whispered. He held the door open for her and they walked outside together. There was a pool, with pool lights shining beside it. Serenity walked over to it and peered in. Seto watched her, mesmerized. No woman had ever had this effect on him. What was it about this . . . this Wheeler girl that made him feel this way?

"Serenity . . . " He walked over to her. She faced him and stared up into his azure eyes. The moonlight shown down upon them, and she knew at that moment that she had never seen a more desirable man in all her life. He traced a finger down her fair cheek realizing just how much he wanted to kiss her, to run his fingers through her soft hair.

"Well well well...isn't this sweet. But how is your brother going to feel about this?" They both turned quickly to find Duke smirking at them from the doorframe.

Yep...another cliffhanger. Sorry

To my readers: I'm _really _sorry about ranting in my last chapter. Do you guys hate me? Reading Unknown Reviewer's review made me realize how hateful I was being. (And don't worry, Unknown Reviewer. I wasn't offended. You speak the truth. Please don't be angry at me for singling you out. There were others that told me I was being greedy in their own way, but it was your review that made me realize how true this was. Thanks for this helpful bit of criticism, and don't be afraid to say other things about me or my story, like if I'm getting to be a monster again. Don't worry, I won't get angry. :) I'm sorry, and I promise not to rant again. I'm still going to strive for twenty reviews. (Despite how greedy it may be. Lol) The reason I was so upset was because I was afraid that people were losing interest with my story. That scared me out of my mind! And despite all the hateful things I said in my last chapter, I would be nothing without my reviewers. You, each and every one of you, are one of the main reasons I write on fanfiction, and if it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't write these stories at all. I love you guys, and I hope you still love me!

-Lover of Seto Kaiba

(a.k.a. LoSK)


	6. Swimming

Chapter 6 Swimming

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

I'm glad you guys still love me! Thank you! And I love you too!!! I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I was grounded from the internet because of my grades (as usual). Please be patient with me, because I can only get on three times a week now. I'll update as soon as I can.

Duke smirked, his sea colored eyes laughing mockingly at the two of them. Serenity looked from him to Seto, who glared at the scrawny youth leaning casually in the doorway. "What do you want, Devlin?" He asked, putting a protective arm around her. Despite the circumstances, excitement surged through Serenity at the thought that Seto Kaiba was protecting her. Duke's lips parted into a malicious smile, showing off his pearly white teeth.

"I just find it strange that Serenity would recoil from me, Duke Devlin, but at the touch of you, the hated rival of her brother, she would melt into your arms. What's wrong, Serenity?" He asked, sauntering toward her. "Am I not good enough for you?" With that sardonic smile plastered to his face he reached out to caress her cheek, but Seto placed himself in front of her, blocking Duke's repulsive hand from touching her.

"Leave her alone." He said, his teeth clenched. Duke raised an eyebrow at him, a smirk playing on his lips.

"What are you going to do about it?" He asked, looking up. Sea green clashed with azure as their eyes locked. For a second, Duke seemed to falter under Seto's foreboding figure, but he quickly regained his composure and backed away from him. "Are you going to fight me? Over . . . her?" He motioned toward Serenity, who was on the verge of tears. "By the way," he said, looking to the left of Seto at her, "That dress looks great on you. Really." He snickered as she hid behind Seto. His smirk broadened into a full-fledged grin, but Seto wasn't smiling. He meant business.

"I said leave her alone." He took a step toward him and grabbed him by his jacket. Duke, being a head and a half shorter than Seto, was lifted to his toes. "You'd better not come anywhere near her again, or you won't live to regret it."

Despite the position he was in, Duke still kept his jackass attitude up. "And what about when you're not around? You can't protect her forever."

"Well," Seto said, tightening his grip. "Here's a taste of what will happen if I find out you've gone withing five feet of her again." He literally picked Duke up off the ground and hurled him into the pool, much to the astonishment of Serenity. She looked from Seto, to the pool, and back to Seto again, her mouth open in shock.

Duke surfaced screaming profanities, his face gone white with complete and utter fury. Serenity backed away from the pool's edge just as her hero jumped in after him. In water or on land, Duke didn't stand a chance against Seto. If he had wanted to, he could've drowned him there and then, but then there would be the court thing, and possibly jail time, and he just couldn't bother with something like that. So, Seto just had to be content with beating the snot out of the little punk, which he did very well.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Duke kicked and screamed, trying to pull away from his tormenter, who had a strong hold on his wrist. His nose was bleeding from where Seto had decked him in the face after jumping in the pool. "You're going to break my arm! Let go!" he screeched.

"...Fine." Seto said simply and let go. Duke pulled away from him and massaged his wrist, staring at Seto as if he were some kind of maniac. Then he got out of the pool and stumbled past Serenity, too mortified to even look at her. Seconds later, they heard a motorcycle rev up from somewhere and speeded off. Seto looked up from the pool and flashed her a smile. "How did I do?"

"...Wow . . . " Was all she could say as she gave him her hand to help him out of the pool. Seto took her hand in his and just looked at it for a second. Then, he flashed her a mischievous smile and gripped her hand just hard enough where she couldn't pull away. Sensing what he was about to do, she shook her head. "You wouldn't!" She dared, trying to pull her hand from his grip.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" He asked and, with little effort, pulled her into the pool with him. She gasped and looked down at her soaked dress.

"I can't believe you did that!" She cried and splashed him.

"I can't either!" He splashed her back, laughing. Of course, this started an all out water war between them. Naturally, this led to a dunking contest. (A contest in which Seto had a huge advantage, because he could touch bottom, and he was much stronger than Serenity.)

After Seto dunked her for the sixth time (he was counting) he pulled away, breathing hard. "You know . . . I haven't had this much fun in . . . " He paused, looking thoughtful. "...forever . . . " Then he smiled.

Serenity grinned and took this opportunity to try to dunk him. She pressed down hard on his shoulders, but he picked her up easily and held her up away from him. She squirmed, trying to break free.

"Do you really think you can defeat me, oh ye of little muscle? I am-" At that moment, she slipped out of his grasp and fell against him. Trying to keep a hold of her so he could dunk her, he wrapped his arms around the arch of her back so she couldn't squirm out of his grasp. She was so tiny . . . so light. And she felt . . . right . . . in his arms. Serenity raised up from his shoulder and attempted to give him her most menacing glare. It was only then that she realized just how close their faces were. A blush crept across her cheeks. Their eyes met, and Seto swallowed.

"Serenity, I-"

"Shhh . . . " She whispered. "Don't say anything. Just . . . " She didn't finish. Their lips met, and Seto's grip on her tightened slightly. She closed her eyes, letting their wonderful kiss take control of her. It was amazing. It was beautiful. It was . . . nothing like the way Duke had kissed her. Seto didn't rush it. He didn't try to take advantage of her in any way. And wow! For a guy who had no time for a social life, that man knew how to kiss!

"Hey Seto, I saw-" Mokuba stopped in the doorway, and his eyes widened. Seto let go of Serenity, and they moved away from each other. "...Okay..." The younger Kaiba said slowly. "Um...this is...awkward..."

"Tell me about it." Seto muttered, letting go of Serenity.

"I don't even want to know how this got started." Mokuba shook his head and turned away. "...but you know..." he looked over his shoulder. "I'm glad it did. You needed a girl, Seto. I didn't want to say anything, but-"

"Go inside Mokuba." Seto said, his arms crossed. Mokuba shrugged and went back to the party. Seto climbed out of the pool and then helped Serenity out.

"...What now?" She asked, sighing. "We can't go back inside, we're soaked."

"I know . . . " He looked up. "But you know what? It's okay. We can just . . . stay out here until the party's over . . . if that's what you want, of course."

She smiled and took his hand. "I can't think of anything I'd rather do."

We finally made it to 100 reviews!(Gets up, and does the 100 reviews dance) Wooh! That was fun! Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed, and maybe by chapter 10 we can reach 200!!!


	7. Froi Grois

Chapter 7 Froi Grois

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

"…Are you cold?" Seto asked as he placed his arm around Serenity's shoulder. They were sitting next to the pool, their clothes still a little damp from the little swim they took.

"Not really." She smiled. It was so romantic: Sitting under the moonlight, just barely able to hear the music from inside, with a kind, handsome man. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this content with herself.

Her stomach growled, and she realized she hadn't eaten. She smiled to cover up her embarrassment. "Sorry, I guess I should've eaten before I came."

"It's okay, I'm kind of hungry myself. Do you…want to go get something to eat?"

"Like a…date?"

"Mm…If you want to call it that, sure." he smiled. "I know this great place not too far from here. We'll be back in no time.

"Uh, what about our clothes?" She asked, looking at her dress. It wasn't dripping anymore, but it still clung to her legs.

"No one will care, and if they do, what does it matter? What business is it of theirs why we're drenched from head to toe? Come on, I _know _you want to ride in my limo again."

"Well…" She looked into his eyes. God, how could she say no to those eyes? "Okay, as long as we get back before the party ends." They stood up and, hand in hand, walked to the parking lot.

The first thing Serenity noticed when they approached Seto's limo was that Joey's foul writing was gone. She decided not to bring it up again, just in case he was still harboring some anger over the incident. His driver held the door open for her, smiling.

"Thank you." She said as she got in. He nodded, and Seto sat next to her.

"Serenity, do you like French food?"

"I've…never had it." She admitted. Money was so tight, the only type of restaurant she usually ate at had a drive through window and dancing clown…or bear…or something of the sort.

"Well, now's your time to try it. Take us to Chez Pierre." He ordered the driver, his French accent flawless. "You're going to love this."

Chez Pierre wasn't far from the hotel (after all, they were in the _good _part of town, aka, the _rich _part of town.) so they arrived in less than ten minutes. Serenity had never eaten in a place like it before, and she felt a little self-conscious when they walked in, not only because her clothes were still slightly damp, but because she knew she didn't fit in. She knew people were looking at her, judging her for what they saw: A small, scared girl in a moist dress, trying to look like she belonged, and for a minute, it bothered her. But when Seto took her hand and smiled reassuringly at her, she knew it didn't matter. She was here, with him, and no matter what the other rich, snobby, stuck up people thought of her wasn't important.

The waiter raised his nose at their appearance, but when Seto told him who he was, he immediately led them to their seat: a two person table. She didn't understand one bit of the menu, so Seto ordered for her. For drinks, they had Perrie, which was actually just a fancy name for sparkling water. For their meal, an assortment of different dishes was brought out, but the main food was something called Froi Grois.

"Um…Seto?" Serenity asked, looking down at the food.

"Hmm?"

"…I think it's looking at me. What is it?"

"It's Froi Grois. Don't worry, it's good." He took a bite of his. "Mmm. See? Try some."

"Okay…" She took a bite. It was a strange taste, not unpleasant, just…different. "It's good." She said thoughtfully. "What exactly is it?"

He got the same mischievous smile on his face as when he pulled her into the pool. "It's goose liver." He said and quickly looked down at his food to keep from bursting out laughing at the expression of sheer horror on her face.

"You're...you're joking, right? This isn't really goose liver, is it?" She looked down at the plate and shuddered. "Please tell me you're lying."

"Now Serenity, I'm a respectable man." He began to smile. "I don't lie. And wait until you find out what you're getting for desert." He laughed. Serenity gave him her most menacing glare, but she looked so pathetic that he just laughed harder. Soon she was laughing too, until a rather rude woman at another table 'Shhhh'-ed at them.

"So, what do you think of it?" He asked after recovering from his fit of chortling.

"Well, I never thought I'd eat goose liver in my life. Now I can say I did."

"Yeah, that's a way to think of it." He smiled at her. "Now, try this." he picked some sort of cream-filled-ball-type thing and threw it at her, expecting her to catch it. Instead, she missed, and it hit her in the face, getting cream all over her. His eyes widened, then he just started laughing again. The rude woman at the other table 'Shhhh!'-ed at them again.

"Aw, shut up." Seto said, turning around to her. When he turned back, he got a face full of goose liver. "Y-you…" He stuttered. After he wiped it off, he threw some back at her. She gasped and blocked her face with her hands. Then, she took a handful of some greenish pudding like stuff and threw it at him. He dunked to where only a little bit got in his hair, but the 'Shhhh'-ing woman behind them was hit in the face.

"…Oops…" Serenity said. The woman was stricken speechless. She glared at Serenity with hatred and then, picking up her Crème Brule, attacked. Unfortunately, the flying custard never made it to it's target. Instead, it hit a poor, innocent waiter, causing him to slip. The meals he had been carrying flew from his hands, hitting even more innocent people. The end result? A chaotic food fight, one ruined wig owned by the 'Shhh!' lady, and Seto and Serenity's banishment from the Chez Pierre.

"Well…That was fun." Seto said to break the silence between them as they walked back to his limo. Serenity smiled.

"How come, every time I see you, my dress is sooner or later ruined?" She asked, looking at the garment which was now not only wet, but covered in a three course meal from a ritzy French restaurant. He shrugged.

"You know what, Serenity? You bring out the worst in me." He smiled.

"Ditto." She said. He leaned down and kissed her lips again. The driver, who was standing by the door of the limo, waiting, turned away and pretended not to notice.

"Mmm…you taste like Crème Brule."

"Gee, thanks." She smiled.

How was THAT for a first date! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So, did you like it? Did you? Did you? Did you? TELL ME!


	8. He likes you

Chapter 8

Hey guys, gals, and other peoples! What's up? I finally got around to writing chapter 8! (Yay!) Hope you like it. BTW, I loved your reviews for the last chapter. : )

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but keep checking back, just in case!

"You look beautiful tonight . . . " Joey whispered in Mai's ear as they danced to the slow, soothing music. It was a little after10:30, and some of the guests were starting to leave. He, on the other had, was planning on staying as long as he could, wanting to spend every second holding Mai in his arms. She smiled and laid her head against him.

"...Oh, Joey..." She sighed. "I wish this moment could last forever..."

"I know what you mean. I don't ever want to let you go . . . " he closed his eyes " . . . I love you so much . . . I can't imagine life without you . . . " he softly stroked her hair. 

"I know, I feel the exact same way." She said softly. "I hope it'll always be like this..."

"It will." He said, smiling to himself. "It will..."

Serenity scrubbed away at her dress, trying to get the food off of her dress. She and Seto had successfully avoided Joey - although they had gotten some pretty strange looks from the other guests - and were both now in the hotel bathrooms, trying to make themselves presentable. "Joey can't see this . . . " She said aloud. "What am I going to do?"

Most of the actual food had come off, now she just had to deal with the stains. The paper towel came apart in her hands, so she grabbed another four in frustration, poured water on them, and tried to get the remainders of the meal off of her outfit, but it was evident that it wasn't going to work, and even if she could get it off with soap and water, there would still be huge stains where she had scrubbed.

Finally tired of washing her dress, she gave into the fact that she was beaten and walked out of the bathroom, ruined attire and all. Seto was waiting for her. His black tench was stained, but the clothes underneath were hardly touched.

"Couldn't get the food off?" He asked. (Um . . . duh?) She nodded.

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to tell Joey about you sometime. It might as well be now." She said, shrugging. "Maybe he won't be too angry. I mean...there have been weirder couples out there, haven't there?"

"Uh..." Seto said. "I'm not sure. We're pretty strange."

"Yeah, I guess." She said, sighing softly. "I should just go and get it over with."

"...Okay..." He said. "Should I go with you?"

"No, the moment he sees me with you, he'll freak out. Trust me, I know him. I guess I'm just going to explain that I've met a kind, considerate, handsome man whom I really, really like. Then . . . I'm going tell him it's you."

"Hehe.." Seto laughed slightly. "This is going to be hilarious. Okay then, I'll just wait here." He kissed her softly on the cheek. "Good luck."

"Thanks . . . " She said, and turned away.

She made her way towards Joey, sighing. Okay, this was going to be easy. She would just go up to Joey, tap him on the shoulder, and tell him that she was dating...Seto Kaiba...

No, that wouldn't work. The minute she uttered his name, Joey would fly into rage. "Um . . . Okay . . . " She sighed, going over what she would say. "Joey, I-I've met someone . . . and . . . I . . . I really . . . like him . . . and uh . . . ugh, I can't do this . . . " She rolled her eyes and continued practicing. "This guy is nice . . . and . . . and . . . handsome . . . and . . . and . . . he's"

"Serenity?" Someone said behind her. She turned around to find Yugi looking at her questionably. "Why are you talking to yourself? And . . . what . . . happened to your dress?"

"Oh . . . well . . . " She sighed. Why not tell Yugi? She was going to tell Joey anyway, and maybe, if she practiced by talking to someone, she could be ready for when she actually spoke to Joey. "I really, really like . . . " She closed her eyes and sighed. "Seto Kaiba . . . And we went on a date tonight and . . . it ended in a food fight. So now, I've got to tell Joey, and . . . I'm really scared . . . I like Seto, I really like him, and I'm afraid of what Joey might say." She said. Yugi got a strange look on his face and looked down, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Oh . . . You and . . . Kaiba . . . I-I never would've pictured it." He said, a sad note in his voice.

"Is something wrong?" She asked. (Can you say dense!)

"Nah . . . I just . . . " he didn't get to finish, because Joey showed up on the scene. (Of course)

"Serenity! What happened to your dress!"

"Well . . . I . . . " She swallowed. All the nerve she had previously had left her, and now she was left with only nervous fear. "I was..."

As if sensing her fear, Yugi jumped right in. "_I _accidently tripped, and my plate of food went flying. As you can see, it didn't end well." Yugi said, laughing nervously. Serenity gave him a grateful smile.

"So _that's _where you've been all evening! Trying to wash this goof's food off your dress." Joey laughed. "Sorry, sis, but you missed a couple of spots.

"Yeah . . . " She said, relief flooding through her. "Some of it wouldn't come out."

"Ah, that's awright. You look beautiful anyway." He said, putting his arm around her and giving her an affectionate hug. "Well, I'll just be going now. I think Mai's getting lonely." He turned and strode over to Mai, who put her arms around him. They began to dance again.

"Yugi, thank you." Serenity said. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. "You're such a good friend! Where would I be without you!"

He was blushing violently, but she couldn't see. And when she let go, he looked away so she couldn't see how red his face was. "It was no big deal. I'm gonna . . . go over there." He said quickly and walked away.

She smiled. Yugi . . . what a guy. He was always there when you needed him . . .

"He likes you." Someone said. She turned around to find Seto standing there, arms crossed, an amused look on his face.

"Who?" She asked. (Yup, dense)

"Yugi, of course."

"Oh, you're nuts." She said, rolling her eyes. "Yugi's my best friend. I could never like him like _that._" 

"That doesn't mean he couldn't like you. Didn't you see how quickly he jumped to your rescue? He's head over heels for you . . . "

"Wait, you saw that?"

"Yeah, I wanted to hear what was going on" He said, grinning. Serenity sighed.

"Well . . . " She said hesitantly. "He's . . . I could never . . . " then she smiled and shook her head. "Wow . . . Yugi likes me . . . how strange. I guess . . . it does make sense . . . we've been friends for a while, but . . . " She shrugged. "I just don't like him like that."

"Good." Seto said smiling. "I wouldn't want to have to share you with anyone." After making sure Joey wasn't looking, he gave her a soft, sweet, kiss on the lips.

__

Oh my gosh! I am SO going to write a Yugi x Serenity story! I just realized in this chapter that they would make a cute couple. Probably not as cute as Seto x Serenity, but still . . . you know . . . they'd be absolutely adorable together. Tell me if you like the idea in your review. I won't write it until I finish this one, of course. (I don't want to get too stressed out by having so many stories.) Anyway, please tell me whether or not you would read it. I really like the idea, but I want to know if others would, too.

Oh, and I put a little bit of JoeyxMai in. I think they're so cute!

-Lover of Seto Kaiba

(LoSK)


	9. Gen Corp

Chapter 9 Gen. Corp.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I'm working on it!

__

"I . . . have . . . a boyfriend." Serenity sighed with happiness. _"And not just any boyfriend . . . Seto Kaiba!" _She paused and chewed thoughtfully on the end of her pencil. The clock on her table blinked 11:42, but she couldn't sleep. She was in her own, blissful little world, scribbling away page after page in her diary. In detail, she described the night, starting from the beginning of the party. She smiled to herself as she wrote about Seto throwing Duke into the pool, (that jerk got what was coming to him) and blushed when she described kissing him. The night ended with a short, sweet goodbye kiss, like out of a story or something. It had been the perfect night.

__

"Who would've thought?" She wrote after mentioning for the eighth time what a wonderful guy he was. _"He's probably the last person I would've ever thought I would date. I mean, he's rich. He's gorgeous . . . " _She paused, then smiled. _"He's absolutely perfect in every way. And when I'm with him, everything feels so right. It's magical." _She closed the diary and put it away. Even though she was sure Joey wouldn't try to read it, she couldn't take any chances now. She would have to keep it a secret from her brother. But it was worth it. Oh, was it worth it.

__

Mr. Kaiba:

I am sure you have already heard of our new design for a virtual reality game system, which will be unlike any other game we have come up with. It will be the newest addition to our line of already successful gaming merchandise, and we here at Gen Corp. Gaming Industries hope you are interested in our product and would contribute your help to us. If you would like to arrange a meeting with us, please contact us via e-mail as soon as possible. We hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Robert F. Grant - Gen. Corp Gaming Industry CEO

Seto reread the e-mail, his eyebrows raised, not in surprise, but amusement. So, Gen Corp. needed his assistance. No surprise there. It was only a matter of time before they came to him, asking for help. After Robert Grant had taken over, the whole company had gone downhill. He was ignorant, inexperienced, and yet he had somehow become the CEO. Seto knew from the moment he heard about him that the company that he had once considered to be competition was making a huge mistake. Since then, _his _profits had never been higher.

It was obvious they were either running out of funding for their new game, or had no idea what they were doing. They didn't come right out and say it, but he could tell they were in over their heads - and they knew it. For a second, he considered writing a mocking letter back to them that would put them in their place, but quickly changed his mind. It might be a good idea to be on their good side. Who was to know? Someday they might actually surpass Kaiba Corp.'s success. It wasn't likely, but just in case, he wrote them back saying he would be glad to meet with them to discuss their product, even though he was dreading the thought of it.

Unbelievably short chapter, but I was having major writer's block. Please forgive me, and my update will (hopefully) be much longer later. Not even one page long…Geeze, I'm so disappointed in myself!


	10. Surprises

* * *

Chapter 10 

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Sorry it's taking me so long! School's like...evil right now. My grades are kind of going up, but I've still been grounded from the internet. Please don't hate me.

Oh, by the way, are songfics suddenly illegal on fanfiction? I had the most awesomest idea for a songfic, but then I saw this notice that said that they weren't allowed, and stories featuring them would be deleted, and the writer's account frozen. : ( Well, I dunno. I was going to write a songfic, but now I'm not so sure... So anyway, here's chappy 10

"I've got it!" Serenity cried, frantically running down the stairs. "Don't worry, Joey, I'll get it!" She stumbled past him and dove for the telephone. Her brother gave her a strange look, and she smiled at him embarrassedly. "...I'm...expecting a call..."

"...Ooookay..." he mumbled. "I'm not even gonna ask."

Serenity smiled and picked up the phone as he walked into the kitchen. "Hello?" She asked, expecting the person at the other end of the line to be her hunky CEO. They had been calling each other back and forth for about a week since the party, and in secret phone calls, Seto had informed her of a surprise he was planning for today. And even though she'd begged and pleaded for him to tell her what it was, he took joy in making her suffer. Maybe now, finally, she would find out what he was going to do.

But the voice she heard was not that of Seto Kaiba, nor was it of Yugi, Mai, Tristan, or any other of her friends who would've been welcome to call. No, this voice belong to someone she'd hoped she'd never hear from again. This voice belonged to a person who had absolutely no right to call her. This voice, of course, belonged to none other than Duke Devlin.

"Hey, Serenity, it's Duke." His oh-so distinguishable voice sounded casual, as if nothing at all had happened between them. "What's up?"

"..." She said nothing. And how could she? For someone so despicable to call her after acting like he did was unspeakable. She began biting her index nail, trying to think of what to do. Should she be the shy, sweet, kind little girl she always was and listen to whatever bull he had to shovel out? Or should she for once stick up for herself and chew him out like the low, filthy dog he was? Oh, what she would give to come up with a quick, snappy insult that would cut him to the quick, but her mind was drawing a blank.

"Serenity, are you still there?" He asked. In the end, she decided to simply hang up on him. After putting the receiver down, she immediately felt doubt. Should she have maybe listened to what he had to say? As she turned to walk away, though, the phone rang again. Maybe this time it was Seto. She picked it back up.

"Hello?" She said, a bit more hesitantly this time.

"Serenity? I think we got cut off-"

'No! I hung up on you, just like this!" She slammed the phone down, but before she even removed her hand, it rang again. Anger surged through her. Without thinking, she jerked the phone back up. "Listen to me you scrawny, annoying, stuck up little punk! You must have some kind of nerve thinking that you have any right once so ever to call me! I don't know who you think you are, but let me say this: Having money and power doesn't give you the right to treat people like dirt. Don't EVER call me AGAIN!" Silence followed, and Serenity felt self satisfaction flood through her. That is, of course, until she heard Seto's voice at the other end of the line.

"...Serenity? What...why..." He seemed at a loss of words. His voice had a mixture of anger and confusion - mostly anger. Obviously _no one _had _ever _said such a thing to the great Seto Kaiba. Serenity almost dropped the phone.

"Oh...oh God, Seto..." She smacked herself in the head with the palm on her hand. "No, I...I didn't..." she sighed. "I didn't know it was you. I thought you were...Duke..."

"...Why would you think I was Duke?"

"He called right before you did. I'd already hung up on him once, and when I did it again, the phone rang immediately. I thought it was him again. I'm sorry, Seto."

"Heh," He laughed slightly. "It's okay. Now I guess I know what will happen if I ever piss you off."

"Yeah." She laughed. "I guess that I have so much anger I don't show, it just kind of built up." Despite the circumstances, it seemed like whenever she was talking to him, he could always find a way to make her smile.

"So, do you want me to take care of Devlin? I beat him once, I can do it again." He sounded serious, but the last thing Serenity wanted was to start another altercation between them. It wasn't that she didn't want Seto to teach that punk a lesson, because he certainly did deserve it. But things were already unstable enough. She didn't need to further risk the chance of anyone else finding out. After all, Duke knew. Yugi knew. Eventually, Joey might somehow find out, and then where would they be?

"No, Seto." She said quickly. "It's fine, really. I don't want to start any trouble."

"It won't be any trouble, really. He obviously didn't learn a lesson the last time we fought, so I need to teach him that when I say to stay away from you, I mean it . . . wow . . . that made me sound really possessive, didn't it?"

"Yeah." She laughed. "Don't tell me you're one of those jealous guys who never let their girlfriend have friends who are guys. Because if you are, I'm afraid I'm going to have to end things here." She was laughing, and Seto decided to play along with her.

"Ah, that's to bad, because I was really beginning to like you." They both started laughing. "No, seriously, it's okay. But are you sure you don't want me to make sure he never calls you again? If he was in a body cast, I don't think he'd be able to use a phone."

"Seto, that's scary." She said, although she was smiling at the thought. He had already proven he was quite capable of putting someone in the hospital if he really wanted to.

"Aw, okay fine. I'll leave him alone, but if he keeps bothering you, you know who to call."

"Yes, I do. But that's enough about him. Let's get on the more important subject: What's this surprise you've been teasing me about!"

"Oh, that." He said casually. "Well, I can't tell you what that is, really. It has to be a surprise. Do you think you could meet me on a street corner or something and I could pick you up. I'd feel nervous picking you up in front of your house. He'd definitely notice my limo."

"On a street corner? You make me sound like a hooker." She smiled, and Seto sounded like he was about to choke.

"You...you know that wasn't what I meant." he was trying to suppress laughter. "You know I don't think of you like that!"

"I know." She smiled. "That sounds fine. I'll tell Joey I'm going over to...Yugi's. He doesn't live that far away." When will you pick me up?"

"I get off work in almost an hour. Can you meet me there at...around...1:15?"

"Sure!" She smiled. "I can't wait!"

"Neither can I. You're going to love it."

"I guess I'll let you get back to work then." she said softly. "Bye."

"Bye."

Okay, that was it. I was going to add on the next chapter to please all my little fans out there, but I decided against it. Sorry. But hey, at least I updated (after what? like...three months?) Soon, I'll be updating my other story: Trapped, but as fortoday, I'm just updating Date with Destiny. Sorry, MalikxSerenityfans.

Anyway, my computer's been messing up, so if the formatting of the story looks weird, blame my computer. Bye, and remember: REVIEW.


	11. Love and Latches

Chapter 11 Love and Latches

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Sad, isn't it?

Well, I'm currently in my room at 12: something in the morning, writing by the light of my portable DVD player as the "Cancan" from Moulin Rouge plays in my headphones. (Isn't technology great?) I suppose I should be getting some sleep, since I have to get up when my sister does. (I'm babysitting tomorrow. Ugh.) But oh! I just HAD to write! It's like my notebook was calling to me. You know the feeling? Of course you do! You're all writers, too!

Anyway, I bring you chapter 11. Hope you like it!

"Ya know, Serenity, I'm real glad you an' Yugi are getting to know one another better." Joey put his arm around his sister, grinning. "Don't tell him that I told ya, but he's had a crush on you for a while now."

"Um…" Serenity fought the feeling that she was digging herself deeper and deeper into an already abysmal hole. "Yeah, he…he told me at the party." She swallowed uncomfortably. Lying to him was tearing her to pieces.

"Before ya go, let me just tell ya something." He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "I've known Yugi for a long time, and there's no one I'd rather you be with. He's not like all those other guys out there. He'll treat ya right."

"…" She looked down then spoke. "I'm …glad you approve of us, Joey." What was she becoming? She couldn't even look her brother in the eyes anymore. And poor Joey…he didn't suspect a thing. He would never think of his sister as the deceiving type. This just made her feel worse, and she knew she had to get out of that house. Even as the words tumbled out of her mouth, she knew her excuse sounded fake. Fake…just like her. "Okay Joey. I'd better be going. Yugi's going to be waiting for me, and I don't want him to think I changed my mind. That wouldn't help our relationship any." She forced a laugh. Her brother, obviously not catching the nervous tone in her voice, let go of her and smiled.

"Awright, bye then. Oh, but don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"That's unfair! I doubt you'd even hug Yugi!" She called mockingly over her shoulder, trying to cover up the fact atha her nerve had practically turned to jello. For a second, she had almost broken down and told him everything, but she had managed to pull through.

As she walked to the corner, she thought about what Joey had said. So, he'd known yugi liked her, too. Did everyone? If _Joey _could tell, then all her friends must know, too. And even Seto, who never like to associate himself with their group, had figured it out. Why was it _she _was always the last person to know?

Still pondering this, she stood by the stop sign for merely a few seconds before Seto's white limo pulled into view. She smiled and straightened yellow sundress, hoping she looked nice enough for wherever they were going. The trouble with surprises is that one never knows what to wear. If Seto was taking her somewhere nice, she wanted to look good enough to fit in. But if they were going to a normal place, she didn't want to show up overdressed and draw attention to herself. That would be just as embarrassing as showing up at a ball dressed in rags!

She had decided on a simple yellow dress. At the time, it seemed casual enough for everyday activities, but also could be dressy, in comparison to jeans and a T-shirt. But now she was having second thoughts. Maybe she should've worn something nicer. Let's not lie. Seto was a rich man. He could plan a surprise for anywhere, and with men, it seemed like they thought the more expensive the better, which wasn't always true.

As the car got closer, though, she remembered the first time she had met him. Hadn't she looked like a hobo? Yet he'd allowed her to ride in his limo, even though she was covered in mud. And then there was their date. She'd looked terrible when they'd entered the restaurant, and even worse when they had left, but so what? They'd enjoyed each other's company. They'd had fun together, and although they'd both been soaked and covered in a gourmet meal they were both able to surpass embarrassment and have the time of their lives. It was a t this moment that she realized no matter how she looked, Seto would see past that. He didn't care.

The limo stopped, and the door opened from the inside. Seto grinned at her, and to her relief, he was dressed casually. Well, what you could call casually for Seto Kaiba. He was wearing a simple white shirt, dark pants, and his trademark blue trenchcoat. (Season One! Right? I could be wrong. I've kind of lost track…huh…how many trenchcoats does that man own? …hmm…I'll have to count sometime…Oh! I'm rambling again. Sorry. But I'm pretty sure it WAS season one…)

She got in, and he immediately put his arm around her. Usually, this would make her feel uncomfortable. She didn't have much experience in the dating world, but on the few dates she'd been on (If you could even call them dates) before Seto, she always hated it when the guy, whoever it was, would put his arm around her. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, she just always got this creeped out feeling with them.

Besides Seto and Duke, the only other guy she'd ever gone out with was, of course, Tristan. She'd been on two dates with him, and both of them had seemed excruciatingly dull. The first time they'd gone to see a horror movie that almost put her to sleep, and the second they'd simply talked over coffee. Truthfully, Tristan was a nice guy to hang out with, but as a boyfriend he just tried too hard. She'd decided shortly afterward she'd prefer to be friends with him. Just friends.

But with Seto, everything was different. He could kiss like nobody's business. He was a romantic genius. He knew how to kiss. He could always tell just what to say. And damn! Could that man kiss!

So, it was only natural that his arm would feel just perfect around her. Instead of that uncomfortable, paranoid feeling, she felt safe with his arm draped around her shoulders.

"Did your brother ask any questions?" Seto asked as he leaned over to give her a small kiss on her cheek.

" Nope. He seems perfectly fine with Yugi and me dating."

"Oh! That's good!" He laughed. "And when he finds out I'm not Yugi?" He was smiling. Serenity loved his smile. IT made him look so…complete. So perfect.

"He's not going to find out." She said, surprised at how deceiving that sounded. Still, she continued, her voice unperturbed. "And if he ever does, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"…If you say so. He's your brother, after all." Seto yawned suddenly, then smiled apologetically at her. "Sorry, I've been working late. Even later than usual. I've been planning a business trip, and it's exhausting."

"It's okay." She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "You've been working hard, Seto. Don't you think you deserve a vacation, or at least a day off every now and then?"

He smiled ruefully. "I wish I could. The idea of a vacation is very tempting, but no. I'd probably spend the whole time worrying about Kaiba corp. And the same thing applies to taking a day off. If I'm not there, something's sure to go wrong. No one knows how to do anything without me."

"Oh…" She said softly, and looked up at him. What could be seen by just looking at him? Well, he was over sic feet tall. He had luscious brown hair, eyes that put a sapphire to shame, and a killer smile, if he would just show it sometime. All this in short? He was drop dead gorgeous.

Gorgeous, and rich. You could tell from the clothes, the limo, the mansion, helicopter, and assortment of other things that most people only dreamt about.

But look deeper than that, and you would discover that he was much more. He was, for instance, the CEO of his own company, a company which shifted all it's weight onto his shoulders. He was strong, for he carried the burden of work without complaint. That was just the beginning.

So, how would one describe Seto Kaiba? She thought about this for a minute. Well, he was a brother who, after the death of his parents, had been thrust into the role of fatherhood. He was one of the best duelists in all the world. He was a CEO of a huge company. A multimillionaire. A genius. And, he was nineteen years old.

When this realization struck her, Serenity felt respect for him flood through hre. He had accomplished so much, and still he was working as hard as ever. It was unreal that someone so young should have gone through so much. It sounded like some sort of soap opera, except for everyone having amnesia.

"…Seto…How do you do it?" She asked softly, still laying her head on his shoulder.

"Do what?" He mumbled sleepily. Aw, he was so cute when he was half conscious.

"Everything. You're so strong. How do you manage to do everything you do without losing your mind?"

"Some people think I already have." A taunt smile curled his lips.

"No! No one thinks that of you!"

"What about your brother? He doesn't seem to fond of me. And I believe he called me…what was it? Psycho?"  
"…" She remained silent.

"It's okay. I understand, really. Let him think what he wants."

"You're not psycho." She said determinedly. "You're anything but. Joey just doesn't know what he's talking about." She looked out the window. They had been out of the city for a while now. She swallowed. "I didn't know we'd be leaving Domino…Where…are we going?"

Seto caught the hitch in her voice, and he looked over at her. "Serenity…" He said softly. "Are you…Scared of me?" His voice was a mixture of concern and disbelief. She looked down and scooted away from him.

"I don't know." She whispered. "I really don't. Part of me really wants to trust you, but another part…" She closed her eyes. "I just don't know who I can trust anymore." A sad sigh escaped her lips. "I'm sorry, I must sound ridiculous."

"…No…" Seto took her hand. When she looked up at him, his eyes were full of compassion. "It's okay. But Serenity…" He gently took her face into his hands and stared unblinkingly into her eyes. "I promise you: I would never…ever…try to get you to do anything you didn't want to do. You don't ever have to feel afraid around me…"

She felt hot tears prick her eyes. Seto noticed how close she was to crying. Gently, he wiped away the solitary tear that slid down her cheek. For a second, she hesitated, then threw her arms around his neck, wanting nothing more than to be in his arms. He held her against him and rested his chin on her shoulder.

Sitting there in the limo, wrapped in Seto's arms, she didn't think the day could get any better. Because now she knew. The realization struck her suddenly and without warning, and yet she didn't react in a surprised manner. Because what dawned upon her was something that she had known deep inside the whole time, but osmething she would keep to herself just a little longer, until she knew exactly how he felt about her. Did he love her? And if he did, was it possible for him to love her as much as she did at that moment?

_(K, I was going to end the chapter here, but I know you'd hate me, so I decided to combine chapter 11 and 12 into one big superchapter! Taaadaaa!)_

"You can't see anything, can you?" Seto asked as he helped Serenity from the limo. He was making her cover her eyes so she couldn't ruin the surprise he had worked so hard on."

"No." she she said, smiling. He looked suspiciously at her and waved his hand in front of her face.

"Are you sure? You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

"Of course not." She said indigenously. "When can I open my eyes?"

"Not yet." he smiled and led her by the elbow. "This way. Watch your step."

"How am I supposed to do that?" She asked, a smile crossing her face."

"Good point…" He murmured. "Here hold on for a second." He let go of her. "Now, there's a step downward. I'll help you, just don't open your eyes." She felt his arms on her waist, but she made no objections. He helped her down, but she lost balance. Luckily, Seto's arm shot protectively around her, and he steadied her. She smiled as he helped her sit down on the wooden seat. By the way they rocked unsteadily, she could tell they were in a boat of some sort.

Then they were moving. "Can I open my eyes yet?" She asked.

"No." He said, taking her hand. "Not yet." Shed felt him slip something around her wrist…a bracelet. Her heart sped up. "Just a second." He mumbled, fumbling with the latch on the gold chain. "I never could figure out how these things work."

"Need some help?" She asked coyly.

"No, no, it's fine." He said, still trying to work the latch. She smiled and waited. And waited. Finally, after about twelve tries, he gave up. "Okay, well, the latch must be broken or something. Open your eyes and see."

When she finally got a look at her surroundings, she gasped in awe. She'd been right when she thought that they were in a boat, but never in her finest dreams did she imagine such a beautiful lake could exist. They were near the shore of the crystal clear water. The trees, covered in blooming pink, white, and lavender flowers, surrounded the lake all around, giving it a secluded feel. Petals floated near their rowboat, and Serenity looked up to realize they were underneath a beautiful tree. It leaned over the water, it's tremendous burden of flowers making it hang like a weeping willow.

Then, she looked at the bracelet, which had a beauty that rivaled their surroundings. In one swift motion, she secured the clasp, and he bracelet, gold with diamond and ruby studs in an intricate pattern all around it, was safely fastened around her wrist. Seto looked slightly irritated.

"Hmm…I was hoping it would be a little more romantic. I wasn't planning on having trouble with it. I wanted everything to go perfect."

She smiled warmly and put a hand gently to his face. "But Seto," She said softly. "Everything _is _perfect."


End file.
